


Evolved

by LSDalice



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Eventual Smut, F/M, Original Character(s), i'll add more tags as they become relevant, oh boy i'm at it again, original female character that ISN'T A STARK, peter is in his twenties
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-29
Updated: 2018-07-22
Packaged: 2019-05-30 04:59:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15089522
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LSDalice/pseuds/LSDalice
Summary: Emma Stewart had a boring, boring life. She lived alone, interned at a lab, and occasionally had a few beers when she managed to stop studying for once. A rough night at the lab and a near-death experience later, life gets a little more interesting.-Takes place in the MCU between Civil War & Homecoming, though technically AU as Peter is aged-up into college age.





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> This chapter is a little long and slow-starting because I'm someone who absolutely *cannot* begin a story without setting the scene. Don't worry, we'll get there!

Emma Stewart’s back ached, her eyes hurt, and she couldn’t wait for the soft _beep_ of her key card against the security door to release her for the weekend.  Everyone had already gone home for the day, including her supervisor. She’d been running the same calculations over and over and over again, but something seemed to be missing. There was no way the percent yield of her reaction should have been so low, but the calculations just weren’t explaining it. 

 _There’s no way I’ve lost sixty percent of X1479 in just one reaction! There has to be something wrong with the formula. If they just told me what the damn compound was instead of beating around the bush I could just calculate it manually!_ Emma sighed, resting her gloved hands in her lab coat pockets and glaring at the monitor. _10:47pm._ She had promised Daisy she’d meet her at the bar at 10, and there was no doubt that she was in for an earful. 

Hesitant to admit defeat and call it a day, Emma decided to run the calculation one final time. _If it doesn’t work, it’s a sign that I’ll have to perform the reaction again tomorrow_ , she thought. With renewed determination, she reset the calculation and began again…

And was met with the same result. “Fuck!” Emma slapped her hands down on the table in frustration. Defeated, she typed out a quick email to her supervisor explaining the situation and quickly stowed the remains of the compound and her used lab equipment away for the sterilization crew to take care of. Pushing through the first security door, she rushed to dump her lab coat in the biohazard bin for sterilization, and reached to shed her gloves into the disposal, when something caught her eye. A hole in the double layer of her gloves, with her scratched skin peeking through the powder blue latex. Emma’s heart pounded in her ears.

She’d never run so fast to the sinks in her life. Throwing the faucet open, she plunged her left hand beneath the piping hot stream. The burn of the water was enough to make her chew her lip in pain, but calmed her nerves all the same. A few minutes later, Emma shut off the faucet and rinsed her arm in disinfectant, only to realize that the burn continued.

 _Must just be from the hot water_ , she thought as she finished the last steps to re-sterilize her hand. Still, a deep anxiety gnawed at the pit of her stomach. What if she was contaminated? Emma reassured herself that she had followed every step, and moved through the last security door, on to the lockers to quickly change into her casual clothes: jeans and a hoodie, under a leather jacket.

She let her dark brown hair out of it’s too-tight braid, and took a deep breath. The exhausted lab assistant fished her phone out of her purse, only to be met with 8 missed texts, 3 missed calls, and a voicemail. _Yep, that’s Daisy!_ Emma swiped at her screen and held the phone to her ear as she walked out the door of the building.

“Where have you been!? You said you’d be here an HOUR AGO! You’re lucky I’ve met someone or I would have stormed into that lab myself!” Daisy could be surprisingly intimidating over the phone, for someone who could pass for less than 5 feet tall (not that Emma had much room to talk, she was pretty scrawny herself).

 “I’m sorry! I had a bit of a setback. I’ll be there soon, this bar isn’t too far from work. Who did you meet?” Emma looked down at her hand, still sensitive from the hot water, and began her walk towards the bar.

 “You’ll see when you get here,” Daisy replied, then whispered into the phone “he’s _hot!”_

 Emma laughed and shook her head at her friend, only to be met with a _click_ as Daisy ended the call. Daisy always was the most confident and outgoing of her friends. Maybe that was why they seemed to hang out so often outside of school. Sure, she could be a little gossipy at times, but she always meant well.

 The petite lab assistant stowed her phone back in her bag and continued on her walk to the hipster speakeasy. She mostly wanted to go home and go to sleep, but thought Daisy might actually murder her this time if she bailed.

 Emma had always loved walking home; something about the sound of her own footsteps against the city streets comforted her. Sure, it scared her parents half to death when she first moved to New York to go to Empire State University, but other than comments from some outspoken New York natives and the occasional frat boy, she hadn’t had much trouble. She always made sure to stay alert – which is how she noticed, after hearing footsteps directly behind her for six blocks, that she was pretty sure she was being followed.

 She tucked her dark hair behind her ear, and tried to slyly peek behind her to get a look at the footsteps that had been echoing hers. Her suspicions were confirmed: a stocky-looking man in all-black seemed to be trailing behind her. He caught her eye and smiled, something meant to comfort her, but instead it raised the hairs on the back of her neck. He had piercing blue eyes.

Emma quickened her pace. There were others out walking the streets as well, so she knew she was mostly safe. _He’s probably just some creep trying to hit on girls_ , she thought, trying to slow her heart rate. _Maybe he wasn’t following you, he just happens to be walking the same direction_. She repeated it like a mantra. _You’re almost there, then he’ll have to leave you alone._

She just had to turn the corner now and the bar would be right there. She clenched her hands into fists in her jacket pockets, and the burn returned. She could see Daisy through the window of the bar, maybe thirty feet away.  Their eyes met, and Daisy began to smile and wave.

She could still hear him right behind her, so close now she could feel his exhale against the back of her neck. Emma pushed the door open, and escaped into the dimly-lit bar.

And let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding.

“Emma!” Daisy squealed. “Get over here! I missed you!” She yelled over the crowd of chattering twenty-somethings.

 “Did you see that guy? He followed me here!” Emma gasped, out of breath as she made her way over to her friend. They exchanged a brief hug.

 “What guy? Why are you so out of breath?” Daisy laughed nervously, and gestured next to the man next to her, “This is Jeremy.”

 Emma gave the guy next to her a quick once-over. He seemed around their age, maybe a little older. He definitely had the too-cool-hipster vibe: purposefully messy short hair, stubble, and a most-likely overpriced flannel. Daisy wasn’t lying – he _was_ pretty hot.

 “I’m Emma, nice to meet you,” she nodded at him. He smiled back awkwardly. “You really didn’t see that guy?” She turned back to Daisy.

 “No, I have no idea what you’re talking about. Maybe it was the lab fumes?” Daisy replied, giving Emma a meaningful look that said _don’t fuck this up for me._ “Want a beer?”

Emma sighed to herself. It must have just been some weirdo. “I’ll order.” 

 

* * *

 

She couldn’t wait to go home. The majority of the night was spent third wheeling Daisy’s impromptu date and blankly staring at her phone, occasionally adding a “Yes, she really did that last weekend” to whatever story Daisy was telling.

At the end of the night, Daisy decided to leave with Jeremy. She texted Emma a quick: _“Thanks for being the best wingman, as always! See you Monday in chemistry xoxoxo.”_ Emma waved them off and finished her drink before heading out herself.

She lived about ten-minutes walking distance from this place if she took a shortcut through Chinatown, so she wasn’t too concerned about walking home by herself, even with the memory of that weirdo following her earlier. She shuddered at the thought, and pushed through the door and out into the city.

It was much quieter outside. It better that way, she could just listen to the sound of her footsteps. She started on her shortcut. Head fuzzy from the drinks, she couldn’t help but space-out a little.

Minutes later, she turned a corner and knocked into something incredibly solid, falling backwards onto the ground and smacking her head against the ground. She groaned, holding the back of her head, and looked upwards only to be abruptly met with the same piercing blue eyes she had seen earlier.

“You have something that belongs to me.” The man’s voice sounded deep and gravely.

_Fuck._


	2. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back!

Over her twenty-one years on this Earth, Emma never expected to be followed by a creepy white dude in all-black with disturbing blue eyes, only to have him accuse _her_ of stealing. She was an awkward honors student with social anxiety that _sometimes_ maybe pushed herself to stop studying or working and get outside. Stealing wasn’t her thing.

“Excuse me?” She managed to squeak out, head throbbing. She didn’t feel so good… 

“Where did you hide the substance?” The man replied. He stepped forward, standing above her, hands in the pockets of his black jacket. He looked down at her expectantly- amused, almost.

 “I don’t do any drugs, I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Emma’s heart was racing. She could hear her heart pounding in her ears. Was this guy some kind of drug dealer? Emma pushed herself up on her elbows.

 The man laughed, and the sound made her stomach drop. She felt his boot come down on her hand, the same one she’d cut open in the lab. A surprised cry escaped her.

 “I’m getting tired of this. Where is the substance? Where did you hide it? Is it on you now?” With each question he asked, the man twisted his boot on her hand.

 She cried out in pain and tried to push him off with her free hand, her pulse racing out of control. This was real danger. This was bad. She started to pound her free fist against his leg, trying to push him off. With him standing over her and stepping on her like this, she was essentially pinned down. The hand burned more intensely than anything she had ever felt, and she was certain that something must have been broken.

 “No, you wouldn’t be that stupid, would you, Emma? You’re a smart girl, that’s how you got into Empire State, after all. You don’t even know what the substance is. You probably hid it in the lab somewhere,” The man smirked down at her, icy blue eyes boring into her own.

 Emma froze, dropping her fist. “How…who _are_ you?” She asked, horrified.

 “We know _everything_. You know what? I bet we don’t even need _you_ to tell us, we’ll find it s _omehow_.” Suddenly, he released her hand from under his foot, only to press his boot into her neck. She panicked, eyes going wide. She could feel her pulse beating against the sole of his boot. Emma started to shout, only for him to press harder into her neck.

 “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She managed to choke out, gripping his boot in her hands, desperately trying to push him off of her throat. He began to push harder and harder against her neck, until she couldn’t breathe.

 She started to beat her fists against his leg, desperation growing with every second that passed by with no air. The whole time, she stared directly into his eyes. _If this guy is gonna kill me_ , she thought, _he’s going to look me in the fucking eye and do it_. She scanned his face, memorizing every detail.

 Her vision started to go hazy, but she continued pounding her fists against him, fighting harder than she’d ever fought in her life. He didn’t move an inch, un-phased, like he couldn’t even feel her retaliation. Seconds probably passed, but they felt like hours, her hand burning all the more intensely.

 Emma could feel herself losing consciousness. If she didn’t do something quick, she was going to die. She gathered all her strength and clenched her burning fist, pulling it back for one final blow in the hopes to get her attacker off of her. She clenched her eyes shut.

 Emma’s fist made contact with the man’s shin, and she heard what sounded like an explosion. Suddenly, she was free.

 She rolled over onto her knees, gagging, gulping desperately for air. Her ears were ringing, and her head and throat were throbbing, but the burning in her hand had stopped. She could hear car alarms going off across the street. The man must have heard the explosion and ran. Emma sucked in another breath for good measure, and looked up from the ground.

 To see that the man was halfway across the street, splayed out on the ground, knocked out-cold. Was he hit by the explosion? Maybe she hadn’t been blown back because she was already on the ground? Emma looked down at her hand, no longer painful, and could have sworn she saw _steam_ coming off of it.  

  _“Hey!”_ A voice called out. She whipped her head around in the direction of the voice, still on her hands and knees.

 She heard a short _fwip_ followed by man in a red suit leaping down from the roof of a nearby coffee shop. Was that…Spider-Man?

 “Are you okay?! Where did that explosion come from?” He looked from her, to the man laying unconscious across the alley, then back to her.

Emma sat back on her knees, turning her hand at the wrist to examine it. The cut she had gotten from the lab had closed, but raised scar had appeared over it. It was small, but it was there. She tried to stand up, and almost immediately toppled over.

 “Woah woah wait! It looks like you hit your head pretty hard.” Spider-Man crossed the distance between them in seconds, catching her before she fell. He held her steady by her arms.

 If she hadn’t almost just _died_ , she would have been completely star struck.

 She was a little star struck, anyways.

 “Wanna fill me in on what happened here? Not that often that I stumble upon a girl in the middle of an explosion who’s still alive to tell me about it.” He looked down at her.

 She raised her hand to her throat, looking over at her attacker. “That man, he kept saying I stole something from him.”

 “What was it? Was he responsible for the blast?”

 “No I- I don’t think so,” She shuddered, remembering feeling so helpless only minutes before. “He kept saying something about a substance, he knew where I worked.”

 “And where’s that?” Spider-Man asked.

 “I work in a research lab- Empire Genetics,” Emma touched her hand experimentally to the back of her head and winced. That didn’t seem like a good sign. Her suspicious were confirmed when she pulled her hand back to see blood on her fingers.  She must have hit her head harder than she thought.

 A distant groan came from her attacker. Spider-Man tensed, his demeanor changing from relaxed to defensive on a dime. The man in black was pushing himself up, looking directly at Emma. She could see, even from this distance, that his face was covered in blood.

 She could also see that same, creepy smile was still plastered on his face. She could hear the sound of tires on asphalt.

 “Oh boy,” The man chuckled. “You _really_ fucked up now.” A black SUV pulled up on the street behind him.

 Spider-Man stepped forward, putting himself between her and the man. Emma said nothing, but felt every muscle in her body tense. She felt terrified. Were they going to take her.

 “You didn’t just take the substance in the lab, Emma,” he continued. “You _ingested_ it.” _How does he know my name?_

 “What substance? Did you trigger the explosion?” The suited vigilante questioned.

 “You’re just as stupid as her,” the man laughed. “She _was_ the explosion.” The car door opened, and similarly dressed men filed out onto the street, each armed with what looked like nightsticks. There must have been at least ten of them. They were surrounded.

 Surrounded, and very suddenly under attack. The men charged forward,

 “Looks like this is our cue to leave!” The vigilante immediately sprang into action, taking off towards the squad of men. He moved so fast that Emma barely even had time to register his movements.

 He flipped and dodged the gang’s attacks, immobilizing them one by one with his webs. Through all the movement, she saw her original attacker moving closer, icy eyes locked on hers. She felt like she could do nothing but stand there, paralyzed with fear.

  _She was the explosion_.

 He stepped closer, and closer, until he was no more than a few feet from her. The vigilante was plenty occupied with the rest of the attackers. She clenched her fists, the intense burn returning.

  _She was the explosion._

His eyes stayed locked on hers, piercing blue through the blood covering his face. Her heart pounding in her ears, her blood racing. The burn grew stronger and stronger. The man raised his nightstick, and she could see Spider-Man turn back in her direction, catching the end of the stick with a web and flinging it away.

 But another soldier quickly struck him with their weapon, overwhelming the Spider and effectively trapping him between three others. He couldn’t get to her. She was on her own.

 The blue-eyed man smiled, and raised his fist to strike her.

  _She was the explosion_.

 Emma reacted with reflexes she didn’t even know she had, smashed her fist into the man’s chest, and the world went black.


End file.
